According to a recent poll, a majority of college students will be without a date this Valentine's Day, and most are OK with that.
In a Jan. 30 Internet poll on CollegeClub.com, nearly two out of three students said they did not have plans for the holiday and 41 percent said they did not mind being single on Thursday.
Much like the national poll of 7,100 college-aged men and women, UW-Madison students expressed mixed emotions about their plans for the day.
\I have no plans as of now,"" said UW-Madison freshman Pam Clark. ""I don't like Valentine's Day because those who aren't with someone are miserable, and those who are with someone are basically forced to buy a present.""
Meghan Benson, a UW-Madison sophomore and program coordinator for Sex Out Loud, said one reason students are not worried about being dateless is the fact that they are so busy.
""On college campuses, people don't really go out on dates anymore,"" Benson said. ""You either have the one steady boyfriend or girlfriend that you're always with ... that you never want to leave their side or you just have random hook-ups on the weekend.""
Not all students harbor unpleasant feelings toward the holiday. Kelly Schweiger, a UW-Madison freshman, said she was looking forward to visiting her boyfriend Thursday.
""We are going to party, have dinner and spend quality time together,"" she said. ""It is a wonderful holiday.""
But others are indifferent.
""I'm going to treat it like any other Thursday night,"" UW-Madison sophomore Mike Sherwood said.
Annie Mundigler, a UW-Madison freshman, agreed with Sherwood.
""I am not really celebrating the holiday,"" she said.
There does not seem to be a sense of urgency on campus to have a Valentine's Day date.
""There's a difference from my parents' generation when women in the '50s and '60s actually went to college to meet a husband,"" Benson said. ""I think a lot of people aren't really looking for serious relationships anymore at such a young age.\
